Anchor watch ?

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homer

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Given that you are well anchored (good holding, plenty of scope, plenty of swinging room, short fetch, no immediate hazards - such as a charter boat anchored just up-wind etc.) how much wind (gusts) does it take before you would keep an anchor watch (at night)?
 
Of course it depends on the situation; I remember a time when we were anchored at Studland in an offshore F8+, our anchor was holding OK but my ex and I took turns through the night on watch - then I saw a chap in a dinghy going out to his boat further out, who managed to lose an oar; I saw him try starting the small outboard repeatedly then gave up, spiralling downwind just sitting there.

Downwind of the anchorage, the shipping channel and Poole Bay was a seething mass of white water, even when viewed from upwind - so it was pretty bad; we somewhat reluctantly got our full kit on and the anchor up as quickly as we could, but as it turned out someone to leeward had spotted him and managed to go and grab him before what seemed like pretty certain curtains for him.

In serious conditions a watch shouldn't just be about one's own selves and boat.
 
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The simple answer is if the conditions dictate, the scenario you write about would not dictate that. Poor holding and strong wind forecasts are obvious examples. A few places I anchor drops off to deep water quite quickly, so that would classify as poor holding. Busy anchorages, probably the wind strength would be the only criteria even if holding was good.
 
We've probably only done one anchor watch formally in 5 years of mostly anchoring. That was a couple of weeks ago on our second night in an uncrowded anchorage so anchor secure and no dangers nearby. But the wind started howling down in gusts at 3am. The nearest boats were about a quarter of a mile away where 3 had huddled together and 2 of them had torches and one even put it's nav lights on as the wind increased. But after 30 minutes each of watching we both went back to bed as everything was holding fine.

Normally I wake up a few times a night and have a bit of a look out but wake/sleep/wake is my normal pattern at home anyway.
 
I've only once kept an anchor watch, in the Sound of Ulva with F12 forecast. It was a wild night, but with next to no fetch we barely rocked, though the chain was bar taut.
 
if you have a smart phone or tablet there are apps available for anchor watching. I find Drag Queen to work well.
 
Once the wind gets up so as to make too much noise for me to stay asleep or if the motion of the boat becomes too extreme, that when I mount an anchor watch. That consists of me getting dressed, getting the lifejacket and lines out along with foul weather gear and then keeping a watch from below, ready to get on deck swiftly if things start going wrong. Done it perhaps five or six time over the past seven years. Usually find myself asleep later in the night.......
 
RupertW said:
We've probably only done one anchor watch formally in 5 years of mostly anchoring. That was a couple of weeks ago on our second night in an uncrowded anchorage so anchor secure and no dangers nearby. But the wind started howling down in gusts at 3am. The nearest boats were about a quarter of a mile away where 3 had huddled together and 2 of them had torches and one even put it's nav lights on as the wind increased. But after 30 minutes each of watching we both went back to bed as everything was holding fine.

Normally I wake up a few times a night and have a bit of a look out but wake/sleep/wake is my normal pattern at home anyway.
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I normally do the same even in calm conditions, it never does any harm to have a look around now and again.

One time I was with a long-time girlfriend who knew the routine and took to sailing well; we'd come across the Channel to Guernsey and anchored in Havelet Bay, pretty tired I must say.

When she woke up in the morning her instinct was to open the hatch and look out, which in her still groggy state caused a scream " We've dragged !!! "

I'd moved the boat into the marina in the early hours when the tide suited, and hadn't had the heart to wake her... :)
 
TQA said:
Only time in 13 years continuous crusing was when hurricane Tomas blew through just North of my anchorage.

Sleep was impossible anyway.

Plenty of times I have got up and had a good look around. I would rather layout a storm anchor than stay up all night.
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Exactly. If I can't sleep, I think about what it would take to make me sure. Then I sleep. Most often all it takes is a good power set, snubber, and maybe more scope. A dive perhaps. Very rarely a second anchor. All are better than not sleeping.
 
I find that on board my sleeping ear seems atuned to normal and abnormal noise. Most of the time I simply sleep the night through. I always anchor with snubber etc. I never really formally make a decision to watch the anchor but if I wake up I assume my brain has taken the decision for me and I check. I only once used the anchor watch function on both my phone and my plotter in anger. That was in the entrance to Peel on the IOM. We had a lovely sail from Strangford but the last bit was very rough and it was dark. The gate was closed due to the tide and we had no option but to anchor in the outer harbour. A heavy swell was coming in from the NW which made the night very unpleasant and I was very glad that the anchor held. It was joy to motor in to the flat calm marina the next morning.
 
Both the above replies are spiffing if one is the only boat around.

At the places I go, I'm not worried about my boat and ground tackle, it's the other buggers, especially if they're to windward !

Also as I mentioned, if things are serious one can keep a look out for others in bother.

If singlehanded, I'd - as usual - take trouble to ensure my own anchor is well set, then take cat-naps or set a kitchen timer for a lookout now & again.
 
Seajet said:
Both the above replies are spiffing if one is the only boat around.

At the places I go, I'm not worried about my boat and ground tackle, it's the other buggers, especially if they're to windward !

Also as I mentioned, if things are serious one can keep a look out for others in bother.

If singlehanded, I'd - as usual - take trouble to ensure my own anchor is well set, then take cat-naps or set a kitchen timer for a lookout now & again.
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I have a tin of paint for if another boat wants to try its luck with my topsides! :)
 
I find a helping hand and a g&t afterwards is usually more productive in the long run.

Still there have been a couple of people clashing alongside who I'd have happily painted with bitumen, if not tarred and feathered ! :)

The people, not their poor suffering boats...
 
pmagowan said:
The paint is for my boat :) I don't lose sleep over a scratch in my topsides!
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I just put all fenders out when anchoring and go to sleep. As I said above anchor watch very very rare but a peek around if wind gets up fairly common.

Our only irritating bit of logistics is our habit of hositing the dinghy up onto the foredeck the night before we leave so we can get straight off. All fine if moderate wind as we raise the dinghy up to let air through the forehatch and me look around. But if its really windy we clamp it down so I have to traipse back to the cockpit to have a look and that really wakes me up.

Perhaps I should install a forepeak periscope
 
We have set anchor watches on a very few occasions. Only once did it make a difference, on a chartered fifty footer in Croatia when the Bora blew in one evening. Watched yachts all round us letting go, some onto the rocks, for a couple of hours. When our CQR finally rolled out on a particularly strong sheering gust, our bows came round with such speed that if I had not been sitting at the wheel with the engine on tickover we would certainly have joined the poor devils on the rocks. If we had been sitting down below we would have been lost.
Peter
 
I set my electronic anchor watching device. It links to my Seatalk network & monitors wind speed, depth, position, heading, speed over ground & data availability. All parameters are configurable and switchable . It also does a bit of analysis on the monitored data to avoid false alarms, for example GPS position transient errors.

It uses much less power than a chart plotter monitoring position, is more intelligent, & also it's on the end of a trailing lead so can go right next to my head guaranteed to wake me up.
 
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